Two weeks ago, Winter Storm Jonas dropped more than 2 feet of snow on Pottsville and dipped into the city’s pocketbook.
“According to information gathered for the Schuylkill County Emergency Management Agency, this storm cost the city $70,621.96. I’d like to know how they figured that out,” Mayor James T. Muldowney said during his State of the City address before a crowd of more than 175 at the former Pottsville Club.
After the mayor’s speech, Thomas W. Whitaker, the city’s superintendent of streets, explained: “I was one of the people who helped them figure it out. You take the total combined costs, including man hours, which includes overtime, for the street department. Total we have 16 full-time workers on the street department. We had to calculate the man hours for the police department, and all of the time spent with our trucks. We included the cost of the machinery we had to rent. That Sunday we rented seven tri-axles and three additional loaders on top of our equipment. Plus we had to calculate the cost of the salt. We know we used 300 tons and additional anti-skid material.”
“I would like to publicly thank our employees for working long hours in treacherous conditions to care for our residents. In addition, I would like to commend our residents for showing what Pottsville is made of. Caring people in neighborhoods throughout the city checked on the elderly, shoveled sidewalks, cars and driveways and cleared the snow from fire hydrants. This community spirit is what makes a city a home. And I am proud to call Pottsville my home,” Muldowney said.
Muldowney, a Democrat, is serving his first term as mayor. He won the seat in the 2013 General Election and took the oath of office in January 2014. His 26-page speech Thursday was the second State of the City address of his career.
Many well-known people from the community came to hear the mayor speak. They included state Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125, and officials from Pottsville Area School District like Pottsville Area High School Principal Tiffany Reedy. Michael J. Cardamone, chairman of the Pottsville Historical Architectural Review Board, was there, as well as Diana McGeever, administrative assistant for Pottsville Area Development Corp.
Muldowney gave his speech in the John O’Hara Room. City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar used a slide projector to show illustrations and statistics on a screen to the right of the mayor to accent the speech.
“I sincerely appreciate the fact that you care enough about our community to attend this event. As we gather here this evening we embrace a unique opportunity, an opportunity to review the past, enjoy and experience the present and look toward our future. As you are aware, I have recently completed my second year as your mayor. 2015 provided me with additional experience, a greater knowledge of our city and perhaps most importantly a longer list of friends, colleagues, partners and fellow Pottsvillians that I am proud to know and serve,” Muldowney said.
During his half-hour-long speech, he talked about upcoming project, like the 2016 General Obligation Bond the city is planning to invest in.
“This bond will enable the city to accomplish several capital improvements including a new roof at City Hall, elevator upgrades, repair to the rear wall, upgrades to the police department and a joint initiative with the fire department to purchase air packs. For the street department, we will erect a new building and acquire additional equipment,” the mayor said.
The police department’s clearance rate for criminal matters in 2015 was 83 percent, “which is significantly higher than the state and the county law enforcement clearance rate,” the mayor said.
“We entered 2016 with 23 full-time active officers consisting of our chief, two captains, three sergeants, three corporals, two detectives and 12 patrolmen,” the mayor said.
In 2015, city police Chief Richard F. Wojciechowsky engaged in talks with the Schuylkill County Suicide Prevention Task Force.
“And this year we will be instituting a project in cooperation with their organization called Positive Ticketing, which will supply police officers with positive reinforcement gift cards to distribute whenever a good act or deed is observed being done by juveniles in the city,” the mayor said.
Another community effort the city will pursue is the first Pottsville Fitness Challenge, the mayor said.
“This communitywide fitness and wellness initiative will encourage healthier lifestyles for all ages and fitness levels. Our goal is to coordinate local recreational and support resources in our area and motivate people to be fit for life. It is anticipated that this initiative will be held in the summer,” the mayor said.
Of the numerous things he discussed, Muldowney also mentioned the ongoing efforts of the Pottsville Blight and Nuisance Task Force.
“We will continue to use existing blight took, create new ones and develop practical, effective measures to protect our community from negligent owners. Let me be perfectly clear. Pottsville is not the place for slum property owners to invest. In contrast, we will work diligently to promote investment, encourage good ownership and make our city attractive to investment. In 2015, the blight task force took 36 properties from our active list and designated them a success. We are confident that number will increase in 2016,” Muldowney said.